Cycling today can involve taking a lot of tech along for the ride. For the third collaboration, optics outfit Yashica and camera innovator I'm Back are aiming to ease your journey with a smart helmet designed for "urban commuters, ebike enthusiasts, and tech-savvy riders."
"Clipping, unclipping, and charging multiple devices is a hassle – and leaving them on your bike risks theft," reads the Indiegogo campaign page. "VirtusX1 solves this with its all-in-one design, combining a 2K camera, lights, and turn signals in a single helmet with a single battery."
Whether your bike has integrated lighting or not, the smart helmet helps riders with visibility in daylight traffic as well as after-dark journeying by having 260-lumen LED lighting to the front plus wraparound strobe and signaling to the rear.
The front module is also home to a camera with a wide-angle Yashica lens and Sony image sensor. This can serve as a dashcam of sorts – but one that's on your head – to document rides and capture the behavior of other road users. It's controlled using a handlebar remote and can record 2K footage at 30 frames per second, or 1080p at 60 fps. The helmet sports an integrated microphone, speakers and GPS tracking too.
Footage can be recorded to microSD media courtesy of a slot in the helmet that's able to take cards up to 128 GB in storage capacity. But it also works with the I'm Back mobile app over Wi-Fi for saving footage and audio to a phone's storage and subsequent review, edit and share from there. Bluetooth is cooked in for wireless camera control and hands-free call taking as well.
If the worst happens and you take a tumble while out and about, a pre-saved message can be sent to emergency contacts at the press of a button on the helmet.
Everything is powered by a 1,600-mAh battery that's reckoned good for up to 10 hours of use per charge. However, those endurance figures are for the use of onboard lighting only. You can expect this to drop when everything is operational, though the partnership hasn't shared per-charge usage times for that. When the juice runs low, the onboard cells are topped up over USB-C.
The VirtusX1 will plonk around 500 g (17.5 oz) of extra weight on your noggin, while boasting an aero design that "cuts through the wind to enhance your performance." It's fashioned from polycarbonate, expanded polystyrene and ABS plastic and sports venting for enhanced airflow. It's being made available in small and large sizes, each with adjustment to the rear and soft straps, plus fabric padding and ear protection, for "a secure and comfortable fit."
The helmet is certified to European NTA-8776 standards for fast ebikes (up to 28 mph/45 km/h), as well as being compliant with EN 1078/CPSC regs, and can be used for riding regular bikes and scooters too.
Yashica and I'm Back are raising production funds over on Indiegogo, where perks start at US$179 – representing a 40% saving on the expected retail price. Add-ons including a bike lock, alarm, microSD cards and t-shirts. The smart helmet can be had in black or white. The usual crowdfunding cautions apply but this partnership has already delivered on the I'm Back 35 campaign but is a little behind schedule for the Micro Mirrorless crowdfunder. If all goes to plan with the already funded campaign, shipping is estimated to start from July 2025.
Source: Indiegogo
